A Vibrant Seattle Through Transportation Excellence.

Yup, there’s a lot of construction downtown.

– like a LOT, a lot – and we know it can be a challenge to get around whether you’re driving, biking or walking. That’s why we have rules – SDOT Director’s Rules, to be exact. These rules help us make sure that safety and mobility are at the top of the list when it comes to construction that might affect you getting around town.

We use this Director’s Rule to coordinate with builders to try and avoid sidewalk/path closures when we can, but sometimes a closure is best for safety, or it can help make a project go faster. We start thinking about how closures may affect travelers around a project loooong before orange construction signs go up. For example, we started coordinating with contractors on the massive Rainier Square Project at 5th and Union downtown nearly two years ago. Some of things we had to consider:

What developers wanted to do:

Close the sidewalk on 4th Ave during the holiday season.

Close the bus lane 24/7 on 4th Ave for 1.5 years.

Close traffic lane 24/7 on 5th Ave for 1.5 years.

What both sides decided on:

Sidewalk closed only between 7 AM to 6 PM, Mon – Fri, for only a week during the holiday season.

Bus lane closure reduced from 1.5 years to 4 weeks.

Traffic lane closed between 9 AM and 3 PM.

Thanks to coordination, pre-planning, and developer creativity, we were able to agree on a project plan.

Sure, both sides made compromises, but in the end, we all met our goals of safety, keeping people moving, and project efficiency. (Director’s) Rules do work!

Today, the Rainier Square Project is completing the demolition and starting to dig a big hole in the ground with signs letting people know how to get around it. But in the near future, it’ll be shiny and new, and look like this:

Safe and happy traveling!

If you haven’t heard, Seattle is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. In fact, we’re over 704,000 strong and counting. That’s 100,000 more people than a decade ago. You also may have heard that population growth and construction go hand in hand.

Ensure similar work coincides, reducing impacts, and time spent in the right of way

Create an at-a-glance look at projects across the city

Provide on-demand information for all construction projects

dotMaps:

We also recently launched dotMaps, an interactive project coordination tool that will help improve visibility into city construction and minimize road work impacts on the public. Now our project managers have a visual representation of all ongoing construction overlaid on a city map along with timelines and project information. This cool new resource has already helped us coordinate projects in Pioneer Square, South Lake Union and Downtown.

Features:

You too can get the skinny on our projects from start to finish with this interactive map. Just a few of the cool features for you to explore:

Pan and zoom the map to your neighborhood to see blocks with planned projects

Did you miss the 23rd Avenue Corridor Improvements Project open house last week? No worries! You can still view the open house materials and share your feedback with us through our online open house until Tuesday, October 17. Visit the site to learn more about upcoming Phase 2 construction from S Jackson Street to Rainier Avenue S, expected to begin as soon as April 2018.

We’re listening and we want to hear from you. We understand the importance of coordinating with other agencies and their projects adjacent to 23rd Avenue S and in the surrounding area. To learn more about these projects including the Sound Transit Judkins Park Station, Community House, and Vulcan explore the Coordination page of our online open house.

At the open house, we shared how we’ve incorporated community feedback into the final project design and information about priority hire. Priority hire will require the Phase 2 construction contractor to complete a percentage of project hours with apprentice and journey level workers from economically distressed zip codes. The program also includes goals for the construction contractor to employ women and people of color for a percentage of project hours.

Our goal is to enhance safety and mobility for people who walk, drive, and take transit, as well as completing important infrastructure improvements. North of S Holgate Street, 23rd Avenue S will be modified from two lanes in each direction to one wider lane in each direction, with a center turn lane. This configuration is in current use on 23rd Avenue from S Jackson Street to E Madison Street, part of Phase 1 construction.

We’ll share more specifics about the construction schedule and expected impacts in early 2018 at an open house, after a contractor has been selected. For more information or to request a project briefing, please email 23rdAveCorridor@seattle.gov or call 206-727-8857.

Thanks to the Levy to Move Seattle, every three years, we can fund large community-requested projects. In March, we launched outreach on the 12 Neighborhood Street Fund projects selected in late 2016, and we’ve received great feedback.

One project in particular has received a lot of attention: the Holman Rd NW and 13th Ave NW New Signal project. Community members concerned about the safety of students crossing at this location requested a new traffic signal. We agree there are a number of good reasons to install a signal, and we also recommend removing the existing pedestrian overpass. We’ve learned that many folks are attached to the bridge. They like using it to cross the street and to look at views, and they like using the stairs for training. We want to make a good decision, so we’re collecting data and reviewing the community’s input.

Here’s what we’re considering:

Here’s what we’re learning:

Students crossing under pedestrian bridge on Holman Rd NW.

People currently cross at street level and using the bridge. It appears more people cross on Holman than use the pedestrian bridge.

Pedestrian volumes over a 6-hour period (weekday)

School commute hours pedestrian volumes (weekday)

School commute hours pedestrian volumes (weekday)

Besides current travel patterns and public feedback, we’re considering accommodations for people with mobility challenges, driver predictability, and what’s good for this major truck street as a key route for efficient movement of goods. Adding the signal provides a way for people in wheelchairs or on bikes a place to cross and supports a planned neighborhood greenway connection. Removing the bridge:

Reduces shadows

Reduces the chance that a person driving will assume pedestrians are using the bridge to cross

Work to improve 2nd Ave for people walking, biking, and driving has begun – this includes upgrading traffic signals and extending the 2-way protected bike lane along 2nd Ave from Pike St to Denny Way!

Three new signals and crossings at Clay, Cedar, and Vine streets along with new landscaping and lighting will improve walkability.

For those who are biking, a bike lane extension on 2nd Ave will create a direct, intuitive north/south route through downtown.

Drivers can anticipate more separation between modes through individual signal phases and signal timing improvements, which will move people more efficiently.

What will construction be like?

Preparing to replace traffic signals (and add new ones at Clay, Cedar, and Vine) will come first, which will include trenching up side streets to connect the signals to the electrical grid. Next, crews will remove curb bulbs and install the new protected bike lane. We want to keep you up to date!

SDOT is committed to keeping you informed in a variety of ways, including:

We hung out in southeast Seattle last night talking to community members and listening to their thoughts about a number of projects in Rainier Valley:

extending safety investments south on Rainier Ave

making buses more frequent and reliable with RapidRide

planning for a new light rail station at Judkins Park

making it easier to walk and bike around the Mt. Baker station

creating safe routes to schools, managing parking

making residential streets more family-friendly

Community forum on Rainier Ave S.

Yeah, there’s a lot going on. So, instead of having 25 separate meetings, we joined forces. And with the help of our colleagues at the Department of Neighborhoods and community liaisons, drew in people who might not normally come to a city meeting.

Metro staff was also on hand to enroll people in ORCA LIFT. We even had a kid’s activity station focused on teaching the rules of the road, instilling some city planning tidbits in young minds.

In August 2015, we redesigned a 1-mile stretch of Rainier through Columbia City and Hillman City. The great news is speeding is down and we’ve seen zero serious or fatal crashes in the past year plus (read all the before/after deets).

We’re now moving into Phase 2 of the project, which looks at Rainier from S Kenny to S Henderson streets. If you couldn’t make it last night, no worries. We’d still love to hear about your experiences on Rainier to help inform our Phase 2 efforts. Take this survey, open through March 26.

We reopened 23rd Ave between E John and S Union Streets to two-way traffic on February 28, marking a major milestone for the first phase of the 23rd Ave Corridor Improvements Project. The first phase of the work runs along 23rd Ave between S Jackson St and E John St. The project started in the summer of 2015 and is operationally complete. Some small tasks will continue until the end of March 2017.

Phase I improvements at the intersection of 23rd Ave & E Union St.

The purpose of the project is to improve safety and mobility for all who use 23rd Ave. As an essential arterial connecting various business, residences, and educational institutions, the area serves high volumes of pedestrians, bike riders, and transit users; about 6,000 transit riders daily!

Improvements that were made during Phase 1 included:

Modifying 23rd Ave from a 4-lane street to a 3-lane street

New pavement

Widening sidewalks to at least five feet and repairing broken and buckling sidewalks

Phase 2 which runs from S Jackson Street to Rainier Ave S is expected to begin late spring/early summer, when we will share the design and official schedule. To be kept up-to-date, you can visit the project webpage or sign up for email updates!

As we begin the new year, we continue our efforts to make Seattle an affordable and vibrant city for all its residents, including conversations and adjustments to the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA).

On January 10, 2017, we attended a neighborhood HALA meeting at Optimism Brewing on Capitol Hill. One hundred people came, and we were there to answer questions about city parking policies and the Madison Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The Madison street BRT will provide enhanced public transportation between First Avenue downtown and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way.

We will continue to participate in citywide conversations around HALA and joining people in their communities for scheduled meetings to make giving feedback more accessible. We are using technology to gather input on HALA objectives, such as keeping our communities affordable and accessible.

The Levy to Move Seattle provides funding to achieving this objective by improving safety for all travelers, maintaining our streets and bridges, and investment in reliable, affordable transit options for our growing City. The meetings serve as an opportunity to learn about resulting transportation projects and programs in your neighborhood while providing us with your knowledge of our city.

Improvements such as these provide riders with wait times for buses.

The next meeting, on February 4, 2017, will provide another opportunity to learn more about HALA and transportation issues in southeast Seattle communities. We will be there to discuss a Parking Management Proposal for changes to parking in and around Columbia City.

Meaningful space for neighborhoods to share is an important part of community building. SDOT’s Adaptive Streets Program works toward that end, facilitating possibilities like using underutilized right of way for new gathering places. The latest effort came last week in the Rainier Vista neighborhood, with the grand opening of a new Pavement to Parks project.

Colorful new park space at Rainier Vista!

The project repurposes part of S Genesee St between 29th Avenue S and Jill Place S for an expanded park space, including planters, seating, turf mounds, and a street mural–designed by local youth involved in an arts program through Horn of Africa Services. The project was community-driven and community-designed. Built under SDOT’s Adaptive Streets Program, the project uses low-cost, adaptable materials to test a public space on the street before permanent changes take place.

The site was selected for improvements based on neighborhood requests and a very engaged and highly diverse Rainier Vista community joined together to create the project.

SDOT Director Kubly and Mayor Murray at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

For the November 3 ribbon-cutting event, the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) Rainier Vista community was joined by Mayor Ed Murray, SHA Director Andrew Lofton, an SHA youth community leader, and SDOT Director Scott Kubly to celebrate the amazing work of so many.

The Seattle Department of Transportation is now accepting applications for the Safe Routes to School Mini Grants of up to $1,000 to fund projects that educate students about pedestrian and bicycle safety and encourage walking and biking to school. Public and private schools, PTAs, and other non-profit organizations may apply.

Mini Grants can fund a wide range of projects and programs at schools that improve conditions for walkers and bikers, educate kids on safety walking and biking behaviors, or encourage more kids to ride their bikes or walk to school. Examples of projects funded in the past include student safety patrol equipment, crossing flags, after school bike clubs, traffic circulation plans, walking school buses, bike trains, bike rodeos, and bike and walk to school campaigns.

Visit our website: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/ped_srts_grant.htm to download the application or apply online. In addition to the application, a letter of support from the school principal must be mailed or emailed by the application due date. If you have questions, please contact Serena Lehman at Serena.Lehman@seattle.gov. Completed applications are due October 31st, 2016 by 5p.m. Applicants will be notified of awards the first week of December 2016 and funds will be distributed in January 2017.